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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · present · dip · cabinet · tear · bark · charge · content

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. present — a gift
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. game — a match
  13. content — happy
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. present — the time now
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. present — there
  18. content — the amount
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — in control
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com